By Soso FUNG

Hello, I’m Soso FUNG, a migration consultant. I graduated from Auckland University of Technology in 2010. After returning to China in 2019, I began working on the Hong Kong Quality Migrant Admission Scheme, and to date I have helped more than 100 families successfully obtain Hong Kong status through the scheme. Sincerity is my fundamental work ethic, professionalism is my core conduct, and dedication is the reputation I’ve built in this industry. I will honour your trust and, with my most dedicated and professional service, help you and your family successfully secure Hong Kong status.

Exam

Competition

This year a total of 7,238 candidates registered for the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam, up 43% on last year.Of these, 5,097 were candidates from Hong Kong, 555 from Macau, 1,333 from Taiwan, and 253 were overseas Chinese students.

Correspondingly, this year’s overall cut-off scores have risen across every admission band compared with the 2022 lines.

· General stream: 360 for arts and humanities, 380 for science and engineering!

(Some key universities apply a high-score line that is 100 points above the general line)

· Sports and arts institutions: 260 for arts and humanities, 280 for science and engineering!

In recent years the cut-off scores for the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam have drawn growing attention from parents, and this is inseparable from the increasingly fierce Gaokao competition within China.

Even so, compared with the Gaokao cut-off scores, it’s still far more forgiving.

Let’s take a look at the 2023 Gaokao cut-off scores, which have recently been released region by region.

Shanghai’s undergraduate admission control line was 405 (out of 660);

Beijing’s undergraduate admission control line was 448;

Jiangsu undergraduate (history stream 474, physics stream 448);

Henan first-batch undergraduate (arts 547, science 514);

Anhui first-batch undergraduate (arts and humanities 495, science and engineering 482); ……

This year’s Gaokao registrations reached a staggering 12.91 million, a surge of 980,000 on last year and a new all-time high.

This single-log bridge is truly far too crowded!

On candidate numbers: the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam versus the Gaokao is a comparison measured in thousands against millions;

On cut-off scores: the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam is far lower than the regular Gaokao;

On admission rates: the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam draws on 306 participating universities, including every well-known 985&211 institution, and offers up to 15,000 places a year;

On exam difficulty: in the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam the science and engineering stream doesn’t test biology and the arts and humanities stream doesn’t test politics; the papers are set separately, follow their own syllabus, and offers are made early.

In truth, the rise in cut-off scores was entirely predictable……

Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam

A Golden Springboard

Running parallel to the regular Gaokao, the “Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam”is, in effect, a golden springboard into mainland China’s top universities!

As long as a candidate holds overseas status or Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan status and successfully graduates from high school, they can sit the low-competition, lower-difficulty “Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam” and gain admission to their preferred mainland university with a score 50-150 points below the regular Gaokao!

Eligibility for the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam:

Applicants who meet one of the following conditions and have completed high school (which must be formal academic education, Note 1) may register for the joint admission of overseas Chinese, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan students to general higher-education institutions (hereinafter the “National Joint Admission”):

1. Candidates from Hong Kong and Macau, holding

① a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macau Residents or a Hong Kong and Macau Residents’ Residence Permit

② a Hong Kong or Macau resident identity card.

That is, (a Hong Kong Permanent Resident Identity Card + a Home Return Permit)

2. Candidates from Taiwan, holding ① a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents or a Taiwan Residents’ Residence Permit, and ② valid proof of residence in Taiwan.

3. Overseas Chinese candidates: both the candidate and one parent must hold long-term or permanent residency in their country of residence and have lived there continuously for 2 years, with cumulative residence of no less than 18 months within those two years (Note 2, Note 3); the candidate themselves must have actually accumulated no less than 18 months of residence in that country within the 2 years before registration (i.e. 1 April 2020 – 31 March 2022).

If the candidate or one parent has not obtained long-term or permanent residency in their country of residence but has held legal residence there continuously for 5 years or more (Note 4), with cumulative residence of no less than 30 months within those 5 years (Note 5, Note 6), and the candidate themselves has actually accumulated no less than 30 months of residence in that country within the 5 years before registration (i.e. 1 April 2017 – 31 March 2022) (Note 6), they may also register.

Chinese citizens studying abroad (whether state-sponsored or self-funded) while overseas for study, or working overseas on official business (including posted labour workers), are not regarded as overseas Chinese.

Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam

Advantages

#1 Less Competition

In 2023, 12.91 million people registered nationwide for the regular Gaokao, whereas the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam had a total of just 7,238 candidates in 2023. The figures show that the 2022 Gaokao undergraduate admission rate was about 40%, while the overseas Chinese student undergraduate admission rate was about 80.73%!

#2 Simpler Content

The regular Gaokao focuses on drawing out ability, probing deeply and setting a high level of difficulty. The Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam, by contrast, takes into account that overseas Chinese students have been away from China’s education system for years, so its content leans more towards testing foundational knowledge and is less difficult overall.

What’s more, the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam requires only 5 subjects – the arts stream doesn’t test politics and the science stream doesn’t test biology – with each subject worth 150 marks, so there is no advantage from any single core subject.

Compared with the regular Gaokao, it is somewhat easier to gain admission to mainland China’s top universities – such as Tsinghua, Peking University, Renmin University and Fudan – through the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam: not only is competition lighter and the content less difficult, but the cut-off scores are on average 50-150 points lower.

And if you’re not set on these top mainland institutions, there’s also a strong chance of meeting the minimum cut-off of 400 and entering a domestic 211 or 985 university! The Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam has 306 participating universities:

As the various policies and supporting measures across the Greater Bay Area are gradually rolled out, schools for the children of Hong Kong residents – once concentrated almost entirely in Shenzhen – are now starting to appear in other cities. For example, Guangzhou Pui Ching Middle School (Year 7) and Chaotian Primary School (Year 1) will each open a “Hong Kong and Macau Children’s Class”, each capped at 35 students. Eligible school-age children of Hong Kong and Macau nationality whose parents run a business or work in Guangzhou and hold a Hong Kong and Macau Residents’ Residence Permit may apply, and they enjoy 12 years of free education (kindergarten + primary + junior secondary). The model is essentially to open one or two new classes – the Hong Kong and Macau Children’s Class – within existing public schools. The 12-year curriculum is based mainly on the compulsory-education syllabus prescribed for the mainland, with many teaching elements added to suit Hong Kong’s distinctive needs, centred on “biliteracy and trilingualism” – so alongside Mandarin instruction, lessons are also delivered in Cantonese and English.

This means that, under the current rules, parents who want their child to register smoothly should start planning a second status no later than primary school – at the very latest by junior secondary – to bypass the single-log bridge of the Gaokao. Remember: the right choice always counts for more than sheer effort!

2023-2024

is the golden window for planning Hong Kong status

With Hong Kong status, your child can not only enter mainland China’s 985, 211 and Double First-Class universities through the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam.

If your child has a strong academic base and good English, they can also take the Hong Kong DSE exam to progress to nearly 300 universities in Hong Kong and overseas, reaching a world-class university even faster.

Once one parent obtains Hong Kong status, they can bring along children under 18; after 7 years, having become a permanent resident, the child can sit the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam. Parents who have not yet secured Hong Kong status may want to consider the “Hong Kong Quality Migrant Admission Scheme” first.

Recently the Hong Kong government again sent a welcoming signal to mainland talent, expanding the scope of its Talent List so that the professions it covers jump from the original 13 to 51. Applicants to the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme who meet the Talent List bonus criteria can earn an extra 30 points – greatly boosting their success rate!

Add to that the fact that the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme has no quota cap over these two years, and now really is the best window to apply for Hong Kong status, with approval rates set to rise sharply. Anyone who needs it should get organised right away.

Note: to sit the Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam you must hold Hong Kong permanent resident status. Without it you cannot sit the exam, but you can sit the Hong Kong DSE exam.

Beyond the benefits within Hong Kong, Hong Kong status also brings many policy advantages on the mainland:

1. Income-tax subsidy: a 15% personal income-tax subsidy in the Greater Bay Area

2. Property policy: freedom to buy one home in the Greater Bay Area

3. Social-security entitlements: you can join the mainland’s social insurance scheme and subsequently work, study and live on the mainland

4. Overseas Chinese Joint Entrance Exam: with Hong Kong status, children can readily sit the overseas Chinese exam and progress to mainland 985/211 universities

5. Old Age Living Allowance at 65: under the Hong Kong Social Welfare Department’s “Guangdong Scheme” and “Fujian Scheme”, eligible Hong Kong seniors aged 65 or over who choose to relocate to Guangdong or Fujian can receive the allowance without having to return to Hong Kong each year.

If you’d like to apply for Hong Kong but aren’t sure how you’d score on the assessment, scan the code to follow us.

Hong Kong Quality Migrant success story

Age: 39

Score: 130

Qualification: master’s degree

Industry: IT, drone development

Submitted: September 2022

Approved: 7 July 2023

Hong Kong Quality Migrant success story

Age: 38

Score: 135

Qualification: master’s degree

Industry: finance and accounting, fund manager

Submitted: November 2022

Approved: 5 July 2023

Hong Kong Top Talent (Category C), latest July submission

Age: 25

Qualification: bachelor’s degree from the Australian National University

Submitted: 13 July 2022

Hong Kong Quality Migrant success story

Age: 40

Score: 130

Qualification: doctoral degree

Industry: biotechnology

Submitted: 18 September 2022

Approved: 3 June 2023

Hong Kong Quality Migrant success story

Age: 38

Score: 125

Qualification: master’s degree

Industry: new-energy vehicles

Submitted: 14 September 2022

Approved: 4 June 2023

Hong Kong Top Talent (Category A) success story

Age: 51

Industry: new-energy company; annual income exceeding HK$2.5 million in the year before applying

Hong Kong Quality Migrant success story

Age: 36

Score: 120

Qualification: master’s degree

Industry: finance

Submitted: August 2022

Approved: 7 June 2023

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